Intelligent 5G/DSL Router Bonding for Rural Broadband Constraints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Rural customers often face limited bandwidth and quality issues with DSL services, which are inadequate for high-bandwidth applications like video streaming, especially when multiple users are connected, and this limits the effectiveness of legacy copper infrastructure.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid router device at customer premises intelligently allocates traffic between DSL and 5G connections, using real-time network performance monitoring to route data packets based on current conditions, ensuring efficient use of both connections for optimal bandwidth and latency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If DSL service is used to provide broadband connectivity, then service availability is improved, but bandwidth is limited and degrades with distance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines DSL and 5G wireless connections into a bonded internet connection, merging two different network technologies to provide both the reliability of DSL and the high bandwidth of 5G, resolving the contradiction between service availability and bandwidth limitations
Solution Approach 2:
The hybrid router is designed to handle multiple types of traffic (voice, video, data) across multiple network connections simultaneously, making the system universally adaptable to different application requirements while maintaining both reliability and high bandwidth capacity
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple users simultaneously use DSL network, then user coverage is improved, but bandwidth per user decreases and quality degrades
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments network traffic into different channels (DSL and 5G) and dynamically assigns different user requests to different connections based on current network conditions, allowing multiple users to simultaneously access the network with adequate bandwidth allocation for each
3Reliability
If intelligent routing between DSL and 5G is implemented, then bandwidth is doubled and reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The hybrid router autonomously monitors network conditions and automatically routes traffic between DSL and 5G connections based on real-time performance metrics, eliminating the need for manual configuration or external intervention while achieving doubled bandwidth and improved reliability
Data Source
AI summary
A hybrid 5G/DSL service provides an on-premises router device that monitors both wireless and wired data connections to provide optimized service using both connections. A 5G/DSL router can make use of “always available” bandwidth of a DSL connection to avoid overuse of more limited wireless bandwidth while augmenting and/or substituting with wireless bandwidth as needed. A hybrid 5G/DSL service may be especially convenient for rural customers who may not have access to fiber or cable-based data services. Moreover, the 5G/DSL hybrid service may provide a cost effective option for customers who simply want to augment DSL service in limited situations (e.g., for occasional media streaming) rather than paying for “always-available” higher bandwidth connections that remain largely underutilized much of the time.